US President Donald Trump urged Afghans on Friday to " seize the chance for peace" on the eve of the signing of a historic agreement in Qatar between the United States and the Taliban, which will be attended by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
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"We urge Afghans to seize the chance for peace," said Trump. Pompeo was on his way to Doha on Friday, where he will attend the signing of the agreement between Washington and the insurgents. Pentagon chief Mark Esper will make a joint statement with the Afghan government, the President said. "If the Taliban and the Afghan government manage to honor their commitments, we will have a clear path to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our soldiers home," added Donald Trump.
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Presented as the beginning of a new era for Afghanistan, a poor country ravaged by war for 40 years, the US-Taliban agreement indeed suggests the end of the American intervention launched on October 7, 2001 in response to the attacks. from September 11. The American troops in Afghanistan would initially pass from 12,000 or 13,000 soldiers currently to 8,600, before new progressive departures which will take place only if the Taliban respect their own commitments.
The insurgents promise in return for the departure of the Americans, whom they have long demanded, to provide security guarantees in terms of anti-terrorism, and to immediately begin unprecedented direct peace negotiations with the authorities in Kabul.
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